17 January 2015

Talon Review

"For one moment, with Garret’s lips on mine and his arms trapping me against him, I was neither human nor dragon. Just me."

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught.

As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon’s newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey — and nothing is certain about Ember Hill.

Faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him - and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

I received a copy from Harlequin UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!

What I say:Dragons!! I don't know what it is about Dragons but for some reason I love reading about them. In Julie Kagawa's Young Adult book we get a story about teenage dragons living in secret amongst humans. It wouldn't be a Julie Kagawa book without more intrigue - in TALON this comes in the form of dragon hunters and secret organisations.

That main characters are: teenage dragon Ember (who alongside her twin brother) is trying to complete her dragon training and to fit in with the human teens. Young hunter Garrett who is trained to track and kill dragons and rogue dragon bad boy Riley.

Talon is the dragon's governing body. The organisation trains young dragons on how to stay hidden from humans and to fight off hunters (The Order). Talon expect loyalty and obedience at all times, but Ember's a bit of a free spirit who isn't willing just follow along blindly.

Garret is the Order's golden boy who finds himself on a special mission to hunt down a sleeper dragon; Ember. The thing I liked about the story was how it read a bit like a TV series - the reader knows who the characters are and are waiting for their secrets to be revealed. Riley is a rogue dragon who has left Talon and wants Ember to join him.

I'm not often a fan of love triangles but I found I didn't mind it here because it made sense. Both guys are forbidden but they both appeal to the different sides of Ember. Garret's the human enemy who shouldn't appeal to her and Riley's the dangerous dragon who her inner dragon finds intriguing. The other thing worth noting is that although the love triangle element plays its part, the book is mainly about Ember's development and her questioning the accepted truth/authority rather than just boys and smooches. I personally liked and became irritated with both the boys in equal parts, so I'm very undecided about which team I'm on.

I would have liked Ember to release her inner dragon a little more and make a point of enjoying new experiences. BUT after the ending of TALON I imagine this is exactly what she's going to be doing?!